Who Needs Enemies?
by Saramis Kismet
Summary: DISCONTINUED! Interesting Gray Ghost read, all the same. Expect a rewrite!
1. Hot Beverages

**Who Needs Enemies?**

_Kismet here. Sorry for the long wait on Never Good Enough. Moderating two relatively large DP forums is tough work, and both were thrown at me at the same time. Now, why is Saramis starting ANOTHER chapter story when NGE is not done? Because. Saramis is having trouble with the seventh chapter. Also, the main point of this story will be completely destroyed when Flirting with Disaster comes on January 13th and I want this good and running before then. Look for a small allusion to Mind Over Matter, old readers. And I'm working on that, two._

_Disclaimer: enter usual required legal disownment of basicaly everything here I had a dream once that Butch used Ash against my will and we got into a legal battle. That was a funny dream.

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_

**Hot Beverages**

"Hey, Tucker?" asked Danny. The boy tore his blue eyes from the glowing screen and glanced leftwards at his friend. "Do you ever think that we spend too much of our free time in here?"

Without removing his own gaze from the computer, Tucker sat back and pursed his lips in thought. "Yes," he concluded. "So?"

"Excellent point," Danny said with a smile, turning back to his own monitor.

The two of them were seated at one long table in their favorite cyber café, their usual destination on Saturday afternoons. This time, those, they had left Sam behind and ordered her to not follow them or Danny would simply take Tucker and go underground. Curious behavior, yes, but the reason was not as much. Tucker had insisted that the day be dedicated to male-bonding, so that he and Danny could take the time off to have guy time without the usual eye rolls and scoffs that would come from a girl. That meant as little Sam – or any other female – physical contact as possible.

Knowing Danny, though, that was easier said than done, Tucker thought darkly as he looked up information on an artist's tour dates.

"You know, I'm actually kind of bored," Danny said. He rested his chin on his hand and scrolled down a page. "We've been in here for an hour already. We should do something else."

"Already starting to regret leaving Sam behind, are we?" Tucker asked. A smirk played at the edges of his lips.

Danny shrugged and replied, "I don't know. Can I have a sip of that soda?"

Tucker handed his can of soda to Danny, who definitely took a sip. Or more. He swiped it back from him before he could chug the whole thing down. "Go get your own, already!" he whined, hiding it behind his monitor.

"Sorry," Danny said with mock defensiveness. "My job makes me needy for the basics. Like soda."

"Danny, it's your off day. Get over it."

The secret, half-ghost Danny Phantom replied with a shrug and said, "That's something I can do with enough ease." He turned back to his screen and became tapping away at the keyboard again with determination. Suddenly, he paused, fingers hovering over the keys. "I'm bored," he sighed.

"Well, why don't you just play a computer game?" Tucker suggested. Maybe he should consider doing so himself.

"Because," Danny said, "Last time we – or should I say, you – played that in this cafe, what happened?" Understanding dawned on Tucker's face and he turned back to his screen, pretending he didn't hear him. That was totally not his fault and he knew it, Tucker thought. "Anyway, I guess I should just go ahead and finish up with this," he mumbled, starting to type furiously again.

Interest peaked as to what exactly Danny was working so hard on. "What exactly are you finishing?" Tucker questioned, leaning over in his seat to see Danny's screen better. Instantly he went rigid and minimized the window as fast as ghostly possible. Now, Tucker knew what suspicious was, and that fell very deeply into that category. "All right, what was that?"

"Nothing," Danny said innocently, eyebrow twitching slightly. Tucker narrowed his eyes. "I mean, it's none of your business."

Like Tucker would believe that so easily. He grabbed for the mouse in Danny's hands, but Danny wrenched it back. Soon, the two were in a wrestling match for control over the mouse, muttering light insults to each other. "It's probably some pictures of Paullina you took again," Tucker said, finally letting go of Danny's hands in exasperation.

"What about Paullina?"

Danny flinched violently and emitted a high-pitched noise that Tucker didn't think could possibly be human. He twisted around in his wheelie chair and looked up at the beautiful, dark skinned face of Paullina.

Tucker totally called it.

"H-hey Paullina!" he stammered excitedly.

With a sigh, Tucker turned back to his own screen. Well this figured. It would happen the same way each time. Paullina would magically appear out of literally no where, and Danny would stutter and try to be charming, failing terribly – he just didn't have Tucker's skills.

Holding the reigns of power to strike Danny speechless tightly in her hands, Paullina smirked. "Oh, come on, Danny, don't be shy. Let me see what's you're looking at."

Then, she'd intrude to find something to mock him for and cause him to continue stuttering…

Desperate, Danny looked sideways at Tucker. What did he expect him to be able to do? Tell her to go away, buzz off or some insane thing like that? As if he could.

"Actually, P-Paullina, you probably don't –"

Without waiting for him to finish his reply, Paullina grasped the back of Danny's chair and pushed him out of the way. Far out of the way. His chair proceeded to roll uncontrollably across the floor until he collided with a businessman who was drinking a very hot coffee at the moment of impact. The still steaming liquid was knocked out of his hand and spilled out onto Danny's vulnerable lap.

Wow. She was actually pretty strong. Tucker made a mental note of that.

While Danny entered a heated argument with the man about the two dollars he owed him, Paullina took possession of the mouse and scanned the minimized windows as though nothing was happening. "Uh, Paullina?" Tucker asked. "Maybe… uh…" Oh screw that. Despite his pity for the boy, Tucker wanted to know what Danny was hiding, too. He'd have time to feel guilty later.

She would succeed in finding some reason, any reason to embarrass him, Danny would be humiliated and stuttery, she would leave, and he'd be left in the wake still completely star struck. And stuttery. Tucker couldn't blame him too much though, that was Sam's job.

Unless Paullina clicked the mouse and a Google page for song lyrics popped up.

Next window, a page that looked like the opening page to a ghost hunter's message board. Next window, the school website. Tucker and Paullina shared a confused eyebrow raise at that bit.

"Oh," she said. She was obviously disappointed that she hadn't found any dirt, but was doing a decent job of acting otherwise. "Well, anyway, I guess I should leave you two losers alone for now." With that she turned around and faced Danny, who was returning with his wheelie chair in tow, a strategically placed coffee cup on top of his head. "Nice fashion statement, though."

Danny nodded with half a smile, pulling his seat back into its place. "Thanks. Bye."

The two were now inches apart, and Tucker stared with immense amazement that Danny wasn't twitching. In fact, he was frowning into her smug smile. The smirk slipped down her face slightly. Nudging him aside in slight irritation, she walked with dignity out of the café. Danny shrugged and sat back down in his chair without a second glance.

It was a miracle that Tucker's skin didn't turn purple or something after that scene.

After the door swung shut behind her, Tucker thought of something. "What the heck was she even doing in here?" He indicated the occupants of the cyber café, made mostly of nerds, adults, or people like them with nothing to do on a weekend.

"No clue, actually," Danny replied.

"Why were you freaking out about us looking at a stupid Google page? And what about the school website? I know what GPO, is, too, so that wasn't anything to hide."

"No reason," he said much too quickly.

"Whatever," he said. He turned back to face his own screen again, clicking on the AIM icon. Remembering something, he looked back and said, "Hey, Danny, you've still got that –"

"I've got it."

Danny felt fingers rush through his hair and cried out again. He turned around in his seat, heightened by his knees, and yelled, "_Will you quit sneaking up on me_!"

Surprisingly enough, Danny found his face inches away from that of Valerie Gray and he shocked eyes. She stepped back from him and held the dripping coffee cup out to him. "Sorry! What it back?"

There was no mercy in Tucker's world, it seemed.

Danny stayed frozen in his position, propped up backwards on his knees and staring at the girl. She was starting to look a bit uncomfortable under his eyes. "Oh." He cleared his throat and slowly took the cup from her. "Thanks… that's not mine, by the way."

"Yeah, I noticed," she said. Valerie shrugged her backpack off and tossed it into the seat next to Tucker. It landed with a load clunk. Danny's eyes followed it and he seemed apprehensive. They both knew what was most likely in that bag. "Oh, hey there, Tucker."

"Hey." This whole female virus of "hey I want to go say hi to Danny" was beginning to grow a tad annoying.

"Paullina," she spat in a way that reminded Tucker very much of Sam. "I can't believe I was really friends with her. She's such a little spoiled brat. She doesn't know a thing."

"You don't like her?" Danny asked, turning around in his seat curiously.

"Is it that surprising?" She laughed a little. As she spoke, she moved to the chair her backpack was in and accessed the Internet, signing on to an email address. "I guess it would be, but no, I don't anymore. Long story. Anyway, I'm sorry about that whole coffee thing."

It was impossible for Tucker to resist looking at Danny's reaction to that last sentence. It was even more futile to hide the smile when he saw it.

"You saw that, huh?" he asked, trying to be conversational.

"I think the whole café saw it," she said, "and heard it, too." Tucker snorted at Danny's ever reddening face. "But it's not like it was your fault or anything," she continued, tapping away at the keyboard with an impressive speed. "If I hadn't just walked into the café, I would've set him straight."

"Oh, I'm sure you would have," Tucker said as a matter-of-factly. Danny and Valerie turned to face him as he smiled innocently. "Don't mind me, you two. I'm observing. Go on."

"Thanks, but it was nothing I couldn't handle," Danny said confidently. "I got him over it."

"After you gave him two bucks and walked away."  
"I prefer peace whenever I can take it," Danny said. Well, he did. It was just that in his line of work, he couldn't usually take it.

Valerie shook her head and pushed back her seat. "That's where our opinions differ, I guess. Anyway, I'm done here. See you later Danny. Bye Tucker"

"Bye, Valerie," both of the boys said simultaneously.

Once she left, Tucker sighed in relief. "Finally. If Sam suddenly shows up, too, just shoot me and we'll pretend today never happened." He reached over to take another drink.

"I don't think she'll be showing up," Danny laughed. "I'm thinking about asked her out."

Freeze.

Had he heard right?

Tucker choked on his soft drink and began hacking mercilessly, soda spilling out the side of his mouth. Taking the can from him, Danny started pummeling him on the back, which unfortunately didn't make Tucker's situation much better. He held up a hand to stop him and instead began wheezing, gripping the table for support.

"What now?"

"Is it… _that_ bad?"

"No! No, not bad at all!" Tucker laughed. He gripped Danny's shoulder brotherly and smiled. "It's about time, though. Wait, wait," he said, putting a finger in between Danny's confused eyes. "It's not an evil Ember love spell again, right?"

Suddenly Danny understood Tucker's unexpected reaction. "Tuck, I'm not –"

"Great! No spell. I knew you were acting weird around Paullina. You don't like her anymore. Jeez, why didn't you tell me—"

"Tucker!" Danny yelled, crushing the coffee cup on his friends head. "Listen to the words coming out of my mouth already."

Nothing grabs attention like a coffee cup to the head.

"I'm not talking about Sam. I'm talking about Valerie."

"What?"

After repeating the last three minutes of action, wherein Tucker coughed worse than before and Danny had to convince several people his friend didn't need an ambulance, he recovered enough to say, "Are you clinically insane?"

"Do you really have to ask me that?"

"Yeah," Tucker said, nodding eagerly. "I kind of do, actually."

Danny nodded. "Look, I know why you're freaking out. But at least listen to me."

Hah. Right. "What is it with you and crushing on every single girl we know?"

"You went out with her," he accused justly. "If I remember correctly, Sam and I were telling _you_ not to date her once."

"Tucker pushed his hat back to rub his temples. "Danny, this is slightly different."

"I know," he admitted. "I know it is. But I can handle it."

"If you were telling me not to date her, then how come I can't tell you not to?" Tucker asked. It didn't make sense!

"That's how you should know I've thought about this," Danny replied. "I know it's dangerous, but I at least want to try. I really like her, Tucker."

Okay, Tucker thought pleadingly. Bring the girls back. Make Sam appear and drag Danny away so he wouldn't have to be the one to control Danny's sanity. He wasn't good with that.

"So… what about Paullina?" he asked, begging to know more despite his desire to have never heard it.

"I don't know. I guess I'm over her."

"As Sam?" Danny didn't answer immediately, but rather, gazed thoughtfully into the computer screen. "Danny? Danny."

"I thought… maybe," he said. "It's a possibility. But I just can't picture that happening right now."

Tucker felt like smashing his head on his desk. It wasn't like he could stop Danny or anything. Sure, he could kick and scream and even get Sam to gather an angry mob – because the Mansons were good at that – but it'd be worthless energy. "I hope you know what you're doing, Danny,"

"Don't worry, I do." Danny looked at his best friend and smiled, grateful that he hadn't reacted worse. He'd reacted terribly, but he had expected to be dead right now. He's save that for Sam, though. "So, do you want to grab something to eat? I'm kind of hungry, and I need to go intangible to get this coffee off of my pants."

"Yeah, me too. Just give me a few minutes here." Tucker turned back to the open AIM window and removed his away message. He then double clicked the screen name MetalMistress.

Okay, so maybe he could talk to Sam. This was just something she'd want to here as soon as possible.

* * *

_Author's Notes: Squee. Gray Ghost. I love Gray Ghost, I just do. If you want to know where I got that from, there's a link in my profile. Mmkay, honey bunches? Also, check my forums for info. So amazed that FFN has forums now_

_**See you in the afterlife,**_

_**Saramis Kismet**_


	2. Victory Dance

**Who Needs Enemies**

_I will not, andI repeat: I will NOT change any bit of this storyline for anyone. That means the ship I use stays the way it is. If you don't like it, don't read it. You're not going to become depressed. Want Amethyst Ocean? Go read Frostbite or my Mind Over Matter series. Thank you. _

_Everyone say hi to Mabaroshiwouu, who is now my beta. Which is nice cause I will always miss some grammatical errors and she's an English freak. That's a compliment.I apparently have a thing with inner thoughts. I changed some things back, because I was uncomfortable with them, but she helped lots.

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_

**Victory Dance**

The halls were empty save for a few of the stragglers that wandered campus before the bell rang send them all to class. It was the freshman and sophomore lunch period, and there were only a few spare minutes before it ended and they would have to trudge off to fifth period.

"I really don't understand why they say that you have to be a teacher if you want to be a coach," Sam complained, leaning against the lockers with arms crossed; her spider shaped backpack lying at her feet. "I hear Coach Tetslaff is assigning us to be partners again for another project."

"That's not because she's a coach," Danny began, stuffing his notebook in his locker and closing the door with his elbow; the soda from lunch still in his hand. Needing to relieve some of the weight in his bag, he'd left Tucker to finish his dessert – that kid must have _some_ metabolism -- and dragged Sam with him into the corridor. "It's Life Sciences: that whole class is about projects."

He waited for it.

Sam smirked. "Yeah, but if she wasn't a coach I'd enjoy it more."

"Really, now?"

"Maybe…"

She shrugged and reached down to pick up her bag. Danny checked his watch. There were five minutes left until lunch ended and the halls would be filled with students again. Every sensible part of his brain was arguing with him. _Maybe I should just cut Tetslaff's class and tell Tucker and Sam I saw the Box Ghost as an excuse_, he thought.

_No, darn it, I'm going_!

Fifth period was the first class of the day that Danny had with Valerie. As the minutes ticked closer to when he'd have to make his move – which he hadn't decided was either stupid or bold -- he became more self-conscious, more anxious. All day, he'd been apprehensive about saying anything, even to Tucker -- which meant that he hadn't breathed a word of it to Sam. Though, if anything, she most likely had already been informed and was just uncharacteristically keeping her mouth shut. He'd mentioned it to Tucker two days ago, and he'd probably gotten word to Sam as soon as his fingers could touch a button.

"As long as I don't get stuck with Tucker in another 'family' situation," Sam continued, "I'll be just fine."

"…but you were the only one who even got an A on that project," Danny reminded her, "I mean, I know he wasn't help, but was it really _that_ bad?"

Sam cringed, shaking her head vigorously. "I don't want to, all right?"

They began to walk back toward the cafeteria to rejoin Tucker when the bell finally rang. Three minutes left. Danny looked at his friend with a curious expression.

"Please don't tell me why…"

"I wasn't planning on that."

Danny started walking a little bit ahead of her. At least, he tried to, but Sam had other plans. She reached out and gripped the red fabric of his collar to hold him back.

"Just like you weren't planning on telling me anything either, right?"

There it was.

Danny stopped to prevent himself from being choked by his shirt. Carefully he turned around to face her. "I didn't have to. Tucker seems to have done his job, hasn't he?" Sam rolled her eyes, but nodded all the same. Pulling her fingers from his shirt, he said casually, "The bell's going to ring soon; we have to go get him."

Danny started walking down the hall again. Sam slapped her forehead, pulling her palm down her face in annoyance. With a small grunt of defiance, she started walking again to catch up. "Come on, Danny," she implored. "You know that this is a really blind move you're making. Valerie is one of your worst enemies, and it's bad enough that you two are already so close." He slipped his hand sin his pockets and kept walking. Great, now he was ignoring her, too. "No matter how much you wish –!"

"I've already thought enough about this, Sam," he interrupted. "I know how stupid it sounds, but I think that this might even help the…" He paused, trying to think of a good term for it. "…the situation with 'us'."

Sam snorted, trying in vain to cover it up. Danny sighed irritably and turned back around. He opened his mouth, but stopped himself mid-breath. _No, I'm not going to act like that_. _She's just trying to help me, even if it is incredibly annoying_. _I've learned that lesson too many times to forget about it now_. "Sam, please, at least let me try," he said finally.

"I just don't want you jumping into something disastrous without you looking below your feet first," Sam said, grabbing his elbow to keep him from walking away again. "You tend to do that."

"Sam, when am I not as careful as I need to be?" Danny asked with a smile.

"Whenever there's a female involved."

_That's a good point_. "She's also, as you put it, one of my worst enemies -- so of course I'm being careful." He pried her hand from him once more and took it in his, "I'm pretty sure nothing bad will happen." Keywords being 'pretty sure'. "I've been friends with her for about two weeks now and nothing's been revealed. She has no clue". _Please make it stay that way at least for now_. "I do like her, though. Okay?"

She frowned, but he was being stubborn.

"Okay. As long as you're sure,"

"Of course I am."

The bell rang over their heads as they reached the doors. When Tucker emerged, he saw them exactly like he thought they'd look: Danny jittery and Sam crestfallen.

* * *

From the front of the small classroom, Coach Tetslaff addressed her students. "For the next three weeks, ending at the end of the quarter term this will be your after-school assignment," she explained, dropping a thick packet of papers on the nearest desk. 

Tucker stared at the heavy set of sheets on the cover before feeling safe enough to touch it. He lifted it up, turning it over to read the cover page. Aloud he said, "Preparing for Reality: Codependent Life." He glanced up at the plump woman through the space between his rims and his face. "Is this another one of those things we got every year in middle school?"

"Unfortunately, yes," she muttered, "They're making me waste more of my life – and yours – on it this year, as well. That's why I decided to assign it to you as homework."

"Who's making you?" asked Nathan from the back.

"_They_ are, that's who!"

Behind Tucker, Valerie sighed irritably. _This is just what I need right now, _she thought,_ another after-school project to burn away my valuable and already scarce time—and one that's going to last for three weeks, while I'm working!_ In her mind, this is at least three times as bad as that flour sack project.She just hopedthat this time around, it'll be a little more enjoyable…

She glanced left, seeing Fenton sitting with his hand on his

Chin, looking very distracted. Suddenly, he turned, their eyes met; and both remembered their fights over the flour baby. With a smile, she turned back to the front and shook her head. _Anything will be more enjoyable than chasing a flour sack into the Ghost Zone with that ghost kid_…

"…although you should all be fairly familiar with how this assignment works," Tetslaff continued, "I need to put something in this period to fill it up, and what better way than to outline it." She lifted some of the packets from her desk and began to pass them along the front row as a visual aide. "In less than four years now – more if you decide you might actually pass this project," she warned, "most of you will be moving onto college. This means that you're not going to be able to leech food and housing out of your parents, unless they give in to your whining."

_Give in to my whining? Right. Jazz is already getting scholarship offers, of course they won't be lenient on me. Sam won't have a problem, and Tucker said he wanted to go to a community college_. Danny brooded.

"We'll be pretending that you are living in an apartment along with your partner," the coach continued, "or a dorm, depending on where you see yourself in the future and whatever best fits your budget. You will have to sustain yourself for a hypothetical three months. Each week is the equivalent to a month, or one billing cycle, and at the end of each week I will take up your packets and see how well you've done. You will have to factor in all of the necessities. For example, electricity, gas, water, cable, as well as groceries, insurance, any other rent, and entertainment. Don't forget clothing, either -- you aren't going to go around nude are you? You and your partner will be assigned different jobs tomorrow, as well as a savings account of money already in your possession. Just to spice up this educational experience," she added coyly, "I'll throw in a few real-life situations to try and stump your energetic minds. We'll see if you'll be able to dedicate yourselves to figuring out financial predicaments -- trust me, they will take some time."

Danny and Valerie groaned and banged their heads against their desks in near perfect unison.

"You have five minutes to choose your partners," Tetslaff concluded. "They must be the same gender, so, no Dublin, you are not going to live with your girlfriend. Report back to me when you have –"

Tucker and Danny's fingers flew at one another, both shouting "Dibs!"

As if anyone else would take them.

Tetslaff blinked, then finished her statement. "Tell me who your partner is, and I'll document it."

Sam bolted up at their loud cry. Turning around in her seat in the front corner, she scanned the room for any girl she'd be able to bear being partnered with. It seemed as though in twelve seconds all of the girls had been taken. All except…

Her eyes met Valerie's.

"So that's Martinez and Dublin, Grant and Shaver, and last but not least, Manson and Gray," Tesla said aloud five minutes later, reading from her clipboard. "That one ought to be interesting," she commented lightly, setting the sheets down. Tucker began to snicker into his hands until Valerie flung a pencil at his head.

_How completely and painfully ironic is this?_ Sam mused, lifting her head slowly and looked back at Danny; she quietly pleaded with him to do something, anything. He gave a sympathetic smile, which masked the bubbling guffaws. "What do you want me to do?" he asked. "Get a gender change?"

"Yes," she replied darkly.

Danny's smile vanished instantly. "No."

_I'll take back what I said earlier – I'll take Tucker; I'll take him right now!_

Valerie stood up from her desk and walked over to where Tucker sat, reaching out her hand. He flinched slightly and Valerie laughed, raising her eyebrow in question. "Relax," she soothed. "I just want my pencil back."

"You're not going to throw it at me again, are you?"

"No, Tucker. I'm not going to throw it at you."

"Okay," he replied, picking it up from the floor and handing it to her. She nodded in thanks and turned around to where Sam was. Feeling her gaze, the pale girl turned to her, her body still facing Danny.

"We're going to your house for the project."

Sam's face hardened. "No -- we're going to your house for the project," she repeated, standing up. "We're _not_ going to my house."

"We're not going to _my_ house," Valerie countered back. "We have to go _somewhere_, and we _can't_ go to my house."

"Why not?"

"What's so bad about your house, anyway?"

This day was proving to be more bitter than necessary. Danny was almost in sorrowful tears at the further irony of their situation. _Valerie's too proud for Sam to come to her apartment everyday and Sam's – okay, she's not modest exactly, but she doesn't want to go to her house for the exact opposite reason._ It was astoundingto himhow Sam could be insecure about being loaded, and very little else…

Tucker stood up and walked behind Valerie. "Go to Sam's house!" he hissed. Sam leaned over far enough for her look of resentment to have full effect. "Well, your house is –"

"Hey, here's a crazy idea!" Danny said cheerily, sitting on top of the desk. "How about the two of you alternate? One and a half weeks at Sam's, the rest at Valerie's. Could that maybe work?"

Both girls seemed to squirm uncomfortably, considering the idea. Eventually, Sam was the first to react. She held out her hand towards Valerie, and after she gave it a quick look, she shook it. Sam smiled as they let go and said, "We'll go to your house first."

"Your house first." Valerie echoed in a sharp rebuttal.

_Girls_…

* * *

By the time the bell had finally rung, the decision that the girls would visit Sam's house first was made -- thankfully. Sam was already irritated about Danny's choice, so she wasn't very happy while they tried to be diplomatic about it. 

Speaking of which, Danny's stomach was doing back flips -- as well as several other assorted gymnastics. Their disagreement had put enough tension on him, and now he was about to…

_Play it cool, Fenton, he told himself. Work some of that that ghostly charm…oh, God_,_ what am I saying? _

Danny was among the first to walk out of the classroom. He leaned against the wall just outside of the path of the students that were filing out. He watched as Sam walked by, making brief contact with her before her shoulders slumped and she turned away. Tucker followed her soon after, and looked at Danny with a worried expression. He shrugged and smiled sheepishly as though to ask, 'what do you expect?' With a shake of his head, Tucker continued walking behind Sam.

_So much for moral support_, he thought bitterly. _It's getting harder to think of them in a positive, 'I only want to help' kind of light…_

The fact that Valerie was the last to leave the room was gnawing at him. She nearly passed him without a second glance, looking at something in her hands. He almost let her go…until something in his brain clicked suddenly and he called, "Hey Val!"

She stopped and turned around quickly, a large smile on her face. A small notepad was in her hands, but she slipped it into her backpack. That could wait. Danny, alone, without the others trying to "protect" him or some other nonsense, was a rare. _It's like I've got rabies or something_, she thought.

"Hey, Fenton; what's up? Sorry about that whole thing in Tetslaff's."

"Don't worry about it. Hey, how come you only ever call me Danny when I ask you to?" he asked, grinning like the stupid dork her felt like right now. Witty banter was no problem, but for some reason, he didn't seem to have learned anything about these circumstances.

"…because I happen to like calling you by your last name. It suits me," she said defensively -- only too late did she hear her own words. She bit her lip and mentally kicked herself in the shin. "I… I didn't mean that the way it must have sounded."

Danny effectively snapped.

"I didn't think so," he said. _Okay, well, maybe a little_.

Valerie rolled her eyes. "I'll see you around, Danny," she said, emphasis on the name.

_Crap_.

With Valerie walking away, Danny moved indecisively. He stepped forward and opened his mouth, then hesitated and stepped back instead.

Forward.

Back.

Forward.

_I'll ask later -- no now… _

Back

Forward.

Later.

Now.

Back.

_Screw it_.

"Do you want to go out sometime?"

Valerie stopped in her tracks, her breath stalling. _Rewind! Did he just say what I thought he did?_ _No, no way. Danny couldn't… he wouldn't. Did he?_

Just to be certain of what he said, she slowly said, "Well, I don't think that it's that simple. You saw how me and Sam act together, it might be best if I didn't"

"What?" Danny asked, furrowing his brow. _Oh, she doesn't…_ He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and shook his head, which was good enough for her.

"Unless you mean… a date type thing?"

"Actually," he said, trying to stifle his uneasy laughter, "I was thinking more along the lines of a movie-type thing on Friday…type thing."

_So I did hear right_. _Well, it's not like I'm gonna to say no to something like a movie date…_ Still she hesitated. _I've just wanted to do something normal for so long… and Danny's actually the most normal thing in my life as far as I'm concerned…_

If only she'd only known…

"One: don't mock me," she said, walking closer to him to tap him on the back of the head. Danny winced, overreacting to the painless action. Valerie's seeming relaxedness, however slight, was making this easier and less likely for some part of his body to go intangible. "Two: what movies are playing?"

"Then that's a yes?" hewondered cautiously.

"Yes."

"I'll try to stop," he answered, "and I have no clue what's out, but I can check all the same."

Then, reality struck profoundly. _No way was this is actually that simple -- not after what Sam and Isaid to each other after the ghost invasion…_

"Wait a minute, what about Sam?"

Danny frowned. "What about her?"

"Don't you -- didn't you like her?" she inquired, crossing her arms in confusion, "Or doesn't she like you, or something along those lines?"

Danny cocked his head thoughtfully. "That's a complicated subject," he admitted, "as far as I know, Sam doesn't like me. I really don't think she does, you can trust me on that…and I don't like her -- I mean, I asked you. I…I like you, right?"

_It better be right_, Valerie thought. She closed her eyes, holding back giggles. "That's good," she said, "because I like you, too. I just want to be –"

The bell rang. One minute left.

"…on time for class," she finished, backing down the hallway to her next class. "We'll have to finish this later."

"Right," Danny agreed, moving down the hall in the opposite direction. "Wait -- Friday, right?"

"That's what you said!" Valerie cried. "Bye!"

* * *

The first words out of Danny's mouth as he leapt into Lancer's class at the sound of the bell were, "I got it!" 

Tucker turned at the sound of his voice. "What?"

Danny walked to his usual seat between Tucker and Sam and said more calmly and quietly, "I got a date! She wasn't lying or being possessed or anything -- I got a date without any ghost –"

"Half-ghost," Sam interrupted, smirking as she dug through her bag for a textbook.

"… without_any_wholeghost involvement whatsoever!"

Tucker smiled despite himself. _The kid's got guts_, he thought._ He's probably in way over his head, but he's got guts to do this all the same._ "Good for you, man," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," Danny said, relieved, "I know you probably want to throttle me, though."

"Knowing what you can do to me by pointing at me?" Tucker said. "Yeah, right."

"All right, you two, I'm not going to wait for you to be silent," Mr. Lancer said firmly.

Sam sighed in relief. _A little more of that and I'd have to give __Danny a real piece of my mind, _she thought_, Danny making dumb decisions, my getting paired with a threat to team Phantom…._ _What a day._

* * *

_Alright, there we go. I'll try to have chapter three by Thursday. It's already written but on paper.Before FWD comes out! Okay? Okay. Cool. Again, thanks to Mabaroshiwouu. XD_

_**See you in the afterlife,**_

_**Saramis Kismet**_


	3. Phantom of the Cinema

**Who Needs Enemies?**

_Why is this chapter late? Long original note short: FWD killed my creativity, a new character had to be thought out before posting, serious n00b invasion that swallowed an entire weekend since I'm a mod at DPO, and schoolwork. Now, though, my juices are back and it's ready! Thanks again to my beta, Mabaroshiwoou, for correcting grammar and thinking up the name for my new Original!_

_Okay, so, my beta got an FFN account: Hitamukiissekiwa. When her whole 3-day waiting period is over, go check out what she posts! Her stuff's great.

* * *

_

**Phantom of the Cinema**

Even with Danny's head buried into his pillow, he could still hear the dreaded knocking at his door.

"Danny?" called Jazz from within the hallway. "Mom says it's time for dinner. You have to come down. You can't hide from them forever, you know."

"Yes I can!" he rebelled, throwing the pillow aside now that it proved ineffective. "I could if I wanted to, and you know it." _Intangibility's always an option._

There was a short pause from his sister's end, and he hoped in vain that she'd given up. "You really should've been prepared for this," she finally said, shooting him down from the sky. "It is your first real, non-school-related date."

"Well, they don't have to be so parental about it," he argued. He glanced at the open textbook lying next to him on his bed. It hadn't been touched since he'd taken it out of his backpack due to a phone call with Sam and mental preparation. Oh, well, it was Friday. He had plenty of time to do some algebra now that the week was over, and Tetslaff's project wouldn't be another until Monday.

One would assume that after the fake-out make-out (or two, if one counted the one he didn't remember), as well as the dates with Kitty-Paullina, and he fact that he'd been a friend with Valerie for going on three weeks now, he wouldn't be this jittery. He still wasn't sure if it was because he happened to like her more, or because she was more likely than not carrying one of the weapons her father had let her keep (he happened to know her arsenal has been lessened by a good amount since he'd revealed her to her father). He was going to go with the first option.

All he had to do was make sure that she would never suspect he was Danny Phantom… and if it got to a certain point, and he had to tell her, hope to God that she would be ready for it.

Talk about complications.

"If you don't go downstairs, they'll just come up here and you'll be trapped," his sister pointed out.

"All right!" he snapped, pushing himself up. He began walking toward the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

"Good," she said, "because the sooner you go downstairs, the sooner Dad can give you another one of those talks I'm glad I'll never have to endure again, and the sooner…." She paused and glared. "Do you really have to do that while I'm talking to you?"

Danny pulled the rest of his leg out of the wall, looking up innocently. "What? Oh, that. Sorry," he said, smiling. "It's habit now."

"Right," she replied dryly. "Think that you can make it down the stairs completely solid?"

"I might," he joked, running down the hall to the staircase, leaping down three steps at a time. "Why, though?" When he landed on the bottom floor, ready to run toward the kitchen, his feet caught on something and he fell roughly to the ground. He twisted around and found his ankles tied together with a thick green rope.

"That's why."

A blinding light flashed into his eyes. "Danny, get up and fix your hair or something," said Maddie, leaning down at eye level with her son. "It's your first date, you look a mess. It's with that cute Valerie girl, right?"

Jazz walked down the stairs behind Danny, shaking her head disapprovingly. "How come my first date involved a cavity search, but the worst Danny gets is embarrassing pictures?"

Jack walked up behind Maddie, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Because Danny is the boy, and he's my son, and I know I've raised him right. Haven't I, Danny?" he questioned, eyebrow raised.

Danny sighed and answered automatically. "Yes, sir. Now, can somebody please untie me?" he yelled.

After a few minutes of Jack trying to undo the complex knot that was starting to cut off Danny's circulation, he was able to stand. He reached up and tried to comb out his hair with his fingers. "Mom, my hair is always messy, and I don't have much time to eat. I've got maybe a half hour to pick her up and I might grab something at the concession stand."

"Make sure you buy snacks for her!" Jack said. Danny nodded as he walked to the coat rack to put on his red jacket. "And the ticket! Don't forget the ticket, Danny." Danny nodded again as he opened the door. "And give her your letterman jacket if she gets cold."

Danny stopped and rolled his eyes. "I don't have a letterman jacket, Dad."

"Oh. Right." Jack seemed to be thinking hard. "Want to borrow mine?" Jazz elbowed her father in the arm and frowned.

"I'll be back by ten," Danny said as he closed the door. "I promise this time!"

"What do you mean, 'this time'?"

Danny ran down the stairs and raced away from the house before he had to  
answer his mother's question.

In a few short minutes he was flying above the cities, on his way to Valerie's apartment complex. _No detours, please, no unnecessary inconveniences, not on the first --_

He gasped and exhaled, seeing his breath. Despite the cold, he knew it what it was. Danny scanned the area for whatever it was that triggered his ghost sense. There was nothing to his right, left, behind, or below.

He looked up.

A few feet above him, a girl who looked no older than twelve was loating  
upside down, staring at him with a small smile. She had green hair with  
boyish haircut, save for the two locks hanging next to her face. She seemed to be wearing normal clothes: a purple skirt, a green vest with purple ollars, and tennis shoes. Realizing she'd been spotted, she cocked her head to the side, squinting her light red eyes. "Hi," she said, continuing to stare.

Danny raised his eyes, battling with whether or not this was worth his time. She didn't seem to be threatening, but then again, that's what he thought about Youngblood. He was, what, maybe six? Something in her demeanor, though, made her seem nothing more than a hyper little kid.

"Hey," he replied slowly. "Um, you're not planning on scaring people or causing any sort of havoc, are you?"

The girl put a finger on her chin and seemed to be thinking intently. "Well, no, actually," she said, as though she were surprised at herself by the fact. The ghost looked so wide-eyed and innocent, unlike any ghost Danny could recall laying eyes on. It was almost disturbing.

"Why are you watching me?" he questioned.

"I recognize you from somewhere," she stated nonchalantly.

Danny suddenly became interested. "Really?" he asked. "Are you sure you haven't just heard about me? I'm… well, I'm kind of well known in the Ghost Zone."

The strange girl shook her head vigorously. "No, I've seen you. It was on TV not too long ago. Danny Phantom, right?" She straightened herself and began to fly slowly around Danny. He followed her with his eyes, feeling awfully uncomfortable with it.

"Besides, I haven't been in the Ghost Zone all that long. It's a lot more fun to be out here in this world as a ghost than in there, isn't it?"

Danny was busy mentally filing her into the 'Non-threatening, but Psycho' folder in his Ghost Files. Also, it seemed she was a relatively new arrival; he filed that away for later, as well ."Right, if you say so," he said, not really caring. "So, who are you again?"

The girl turned upside down again, obviously enjoying her power over gravity. "Oh, my old name was bad. I never did like it, so now I've got a  
new one."

The two ghosts looked at each other silently.

"Well? What is it?" Danny asked agitated.

"Zenpyou," she replied shortly, the sound of the name itself lending to a hiss. "That's Z-E-N-P-Y-O-U; no accents on anything. For future reference." She changed positions again, floating horizontally with her chin in her hands, staring wide-eyed. "I always wanted to meet you," she said conversationally. "My friends thought it was weird that I wanted to be like you. They were dumb, though, because now I am like you!"

"Uh-huh. Okay. Hey, I've got to go now," he said quickly, pointing behind him. "So, like I said, avoid havoc and I don't have to do anything to you."

"What about her?" she asked, pointing over his shoulder. "Looks like she's about to cause some havoc."

Danny furrowed his eyebrow and glanced behind him. He took a double take and groaned. _How convenient._

Valerie slowed to a stop a few yards from the pair of ghosts, pulling out a small gun. Apparently, her father must have thought that only the big weapons were trouble for people. How mistaken was he.

"I'm going to make this quick," Valerie spat, aiming toward Danny Phantom. "So that you and your girlfriend don't bother me tonight."

Danny hung his head in exasperation. He extending his arm and fired toward Valerie's hand, only to knock the gun from her grasp. Just because he was about to see her for a date didn't mean he could go any easier on her. He didn't exactly want to let himself die, now, did he?

"She isn't my girlfriend," Danny pointed out, aiming the next energy blast at the hover board, "and nobody was bothering you." Zenpyou giggled quietly behind Danny as Valerie's board spun away. Something about the ghost's laugh annoyed him even further, but he buried it beneath his mind.

Valerie shook her head vigorously, gaining her balance on the board back. "I have absolutely no time for you tonight, ghost," she cried. With that kind sentiment, she propelled forward, arm pulled back. "However, I can't just pass up an opportunity to kick your butt out of the sky."

"Great to know you care," he muttered darkly. Danny instinctively crossed his arms over his head, blocking the punch enhanced by both her suit and martial arts training. The power of it sent him flying backwards, though, plowing into Zenpyou.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed in girlish delight. She pushed Danny away and leaned forward, staring at Valerie excitedly. "Who is she? She totally blew you out of the water!"

"Case in point," he muttered, rubbing his arms, "she'll try to do the same thing to you." Zenpyou stopped smiling.

Just as the words escaped his mouth, Valerie soared by again, aiming a gun at the young ghost. She yelped in fright and closed her eyes tightly, becoming intangible just as the huntress pulled the trigger. The shot proceeded to go through her and fly towards Danny, who narrowly dodged it by stretching his body out at the waist. His eyes met Zenpyou's as she solidified herself. "You're not kidding," she agreed, her entire mood seeming to change. She grinned to herself. "She means her business. Well, so do I."

Danny blinked and clenched his fists. That wasn't good.

Zenpyou flew higher above Valerie and began to spin. Faster and faster she turned, slowly raising her hands over her head as a faint red glow formed around her thin fingers. Below, Danny's own hands began to glow green, preparing for whatever Zenpyou was about to do to Valerie. Stopping abruptly, she threw her fists towards the human girl, two small balls of energy soaring toward her. One missed due to terrible aim, but the other made contact with her. Valerie yelped, grasping her shoulder.

"Awesome!" she laughed loudly. She held her hands out and looked at them in admiration. "Did I mention how much I love being a ghost?" She spun around again, cackling madly. The sound of it flooded Danny's mind, and he felt his annoyance give way to anger.

"Watch what you're doing!" he snapped, flying up to her and grabbing her roughly by the wrists. "You can't just hurt her like that!" Zenpyou gasped and looked into Danny's eyes with innocent fear. Her insane laughter ceasing, Danny seemed to calm down considerably. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to think straight, and flung Zenpyou away. "Just get out of here," he ordered.

Zenpyou crossed her arms and blew a tuft of green hair from her face. "Whatever. I was just helping you out. So much for hanging out with you." With a wink, she flew up higher, becoming invisible and disappearing into the clouds.

_That was just weird_, thought Danny, staring up. _Oh, wait a minute._

"You and you're little ghost pal are so going to pay for that one," said Valerie's voice from behind him. He sucked in a breath and ducked lower just as a glowing net flew over his head, shortly followed by Valerie's board. No WAY was he going to be caught in one of those twice in the same hour.

"I don't know her," he retorted, turning around and flying away. She followed close behind, blasting more rounds at him as he dodged them. "Also, like you, I have better things to be doing right now. Mind if we schedule a rain check or something?"

Valerie turned her board to the side and halted to a stop. She lowered her  
weapon, contracting it back to its original small size and placing it in her backpack. "You'd better feel lucky that I have a date already," she growled, turning and flying back in the direction of her house, leaving Danny alone in the sky.

"Don't worry," he said sarcastically, hovering in place. "I do."

* * *

Danny sighed, watching as each floor disappeared into the next while he floated through them until he reached Valerie's floor, the whole time annoyed that his hair was now ten times worse than it had been before. He hoped that he didn't look like he'd just been shot at several times. Finally he landed on Valerie's floor. He solidified himself and quickly changed back into Danny Fenton. He had to remember to add his gratitude that he looked much tamer in human form to his prayers that night. Furiously, he patted his hair down and straightened his red jacket before knocking on the Greys' door.

He heard a screech from beyond the door, and then a scuffling, before the door opened and revealed not her father. "Hello, Danny," he greeted with a tense smile. "Are you here for Valerie?"

"Um," Danny stuttered, leaning over to look past Mr. Grey into the house. "Yeah. Was that her screaming?"

Mr. Grey laughed and stepped back, allowing Danny entrance. "Yes. Don't worry, she's okay." He turned around and called loudly, "Valerie! Danny is here!"

"I'll be there in a – Ouch!" she yelled from somewhere down the hall. "Just… just give me a minute to freshen up!"

Mr. Grey sighed and pushed the rims of his glasses up to rub his eyes. Danny looked up at him intently. He must have known about Valerie. _Well, duh, of course he does_. Did he know that his daughter had just returned from battling a couple of ghosts? Most likely. "If you manage to be able to put a little sense into her head," he whispered, "I'll have no problems with you."

"Really?" Danny asked, smiling.

"Well, that, and various other things that you should not do," he replied, glaring. "How are your parents?"

"Oh, they're fine… sir," he said, clearing his throat. "They asked me to say  
hello to you."

A loud clang came from Valerie's room. It must have been something heavy, because it sent vibrations all the way to the room Danny and Mr. Grey were standing in.

"About putting sense in her head…"

Valerie's door flew open and she emerged, pushing her foot into a shoe and clasping on an earring. She was wearing a crimson long-sleeved shirt that glittered a purplish color and a black skirt. Even as incredibly winded as she looked, Danny's eyes didn't seem to want to leave her. Compared to her, he felt underdressed. "I am so sorry, Danny," she begged, walking up to the two males. "How long have you been waiting? I lost track of time."

"Not so long," answered Mr. Grey before Danny had a chance to. "No need for formalities, I know Danny – and trust him," he added pointedly with a meaningful look. "You two are going to be late."

Danny checked his wristwatch for clarification. He nearly yelped in surprise of how much time had seemed to pass since he'd left his house. "We'll be back by nine-thirty, sir!" he said quickly, reaching out to grasp Valerie's hand.

She didn't notice. Valerie had turned back to her father and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Dad," she said softly with a kiss. He closed his eyes and nodded firmly, patting her on the back before allowing them to leave.

It was surprising that Mr. Grey had actually permitted his daughter to continue with the ghost hunting. Danny had thought that he would stop her from doing it, but it looked like he hadn't. The man was definitely hesitant about it; he could tell his nerves were wracked, but he allowed it. What a weird thing for him to do, and not the best thing for her safety – or Danny's.

When they stepped out of the building, the touch of cool air pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced down at his hand and traced up the arm connected to it to Valerie's face. It was amazing how she got completely ready in such a short amount of given time. "Day dreaming, Fenton?" she asked with a playful smile.

"Sort of," he admitted. "You... you look great."

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop herself from smiling wider. "You're not half bad yourself. But I feel overdressed now."

"Uh-huh," Danny laughed sarcastically.

Suddenly, the grip on his hand tightened and he was being yanked down the sidewalk. "Come on!" she cried, jogging. "We have to hurry if we want to make it now."

Danny pulled his hand away and picked up speed to catch up with her. Instead, she started running even faster. Danny glanced down at her severely impractical footwear, amazed yet again. The girl worked hard to kick his butt, didn't she? Danny sped up once more, and she turned to him with a competitive look in her eye. _So that's how it's going to be? _

_Fine. At least I wore tennis shoes.

* * *

_

Weak from five solid minutes of sprinting, Valerie reached Danny, who was best over and panting heavily. They had finally reached the front of the Multiplex. His hair was now even more wind-blown than it had been – a surprising task. She herself felt her heart fighting to run away from her chest. "Okay," she breathed, "You win. But that wasn't fair. I had on heels!"

"You – started it," he accused, wheezing. "That was one hell of a time saver."

"I feel like I need a life saver."

He checked his watch again. "It started five minutes ago, and the line's gone by now. Once you factor in the previews, we're early."

"Always the silver lining," she commented with a smile. "Crazy what a little foot pain can do for you, isn't it?"

"It's just a movie, Valerie," Danny stated, fishing in his pockets for the extra money his dad had given him. "You look really nice, but you didn't have to dress up that much." If it had been any other girl, the date probably would've been over at  
this point. Danny realized this soon after it escaped his lips.

"This is not dressing up," she argued from behind him. "This is just different."

A pause.

"I guess the heels could've gone, though."

Absolutely relieved, Danny placed a twenty-dollar bill on the ticket counter. "Two for Last Holiday, please," he requested.

Valerie stared at Danny, slightly offended. "I can afford my own ticket, though," she added defiantly.

"Come on, don't be like that," he joked, handing her the ticket, and hoping to God she most certainly wouldn't be like that because of him. "It's my duty as the gentleman, right? Besides, if I didn't pay for you, my dad would go bonkers on me."

Valerie laughed out loud, walking into the theater with Danny in tow. "Here I was, thinking it was out of the kindness of your heart. I'm buying my own popcorn, 'kay?"

* * *

If either of the two had ever planned on paying much attention the movie, they'd have been severely disappointed. Fortunately, neither had done so. And no, not because of that!

"A net?" Valerie asked in shock. "They caught you in a net?"

"Actually, it was more of a rope. I was hogtied." Danny swallowed one of the nachos he had bought at the concession stand. "If you knew my parents well, you wouldn't be so surprised. It's a daily kind of thing."

"That seems a little wasteful. My dad talks about their work a lot with me. He's not really interested in it, but he was impressed all the same," she said. "He thinks that if Axion doesn't realize his worth soon, he might consider working with them more. Do you think that would be okay?"

Danny felt his shoulders stiffen as the logical part of his brain cried out in distaste. He could handle the relationship if there was a certain level of distance for both of their safeties, but the Grays were progressively getting closer to him.

_Well, maybe I'd like that_, he thought.

"Can you believe the homework we got this weekend?" she asked, changing the subject. Luckily the theater wasn't extremely full and they'd found a relatively deserted spot, because it was hard to stay at a whispering level. "All that algebra, plus Tetslaff's project. How are you and Tucker doing on it, anyway?"

Danny laughed. "We scraped by pretty well," he replied. The inside of his cup seemed to capture his deepest interest. In reality, they'd barely survived the first month without being evicted. "Just remind me to never be roomies with Tucker again. Or to ever move out of my parent's house." He swished around the ice inside the paper cup, toying with the words in his mind before stating them. "How are you and Sam doing?"

Strumming her fingers and growing slightly uncomfortable, Valerie turned her head to the side. "Decently," she admitted. "I just can't believe her house. It's crazier in there than Paullina's is." In fact, Valerie was shocked that Sam had never used it as a Get Out Of Loserdom Free card. "Don't even get me started on her parents. It's freaky how different we are." Slowly, she turned back to him. "Are you sure you haven't dated her before?"

The most unusual thing was how casual it sounded coming from her. Hadn't he already answered this question? Did she doubt his honesty? "I don't know why you think that," he whispered. "I haven't. You can take that one to the grave."

Her shoulders relaxed some, but she looked at him with suspicion. "All right," she said, dropping it. Danny had a feeling that wasn't the end, for some strange reason. "I'm having a great time, Danny. Thanks for asking me here."

"Yeah, a nice healthy sprint, me spilling popcorn on the floor," he listed, referring to a small bout of a ghost induced nervous reaction, "meeting some psychotic green haired chick --"

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing!" he corrected himself quickly. "I mean, some random girl... on the sidewalk. She was weird." Valerie brushed it off and turned back to the movie, while Danny almost fell out of his chair with a sigh of relief.

About an hour later, during which time the two had been chastised for talking in the theater, tried to catch up with the story, and then walked out, they found themselves standing in front of Valerie's house once again. Danny's hands were buried in his pockets, the cold nipping at his nose.

He was the first to break their silence. "You might want to head inside; it's almost nine thirty."

Nodding in agreement, Valerie turned toward him. "I suppose. I had a  
good time tonight Danny," she said softly, tilting her head forward ever so slightly. "It got off to a rocky start, but all in all --"

She was cut off by the sensation of Danny's lips brushing against her cheek, which surprised both of them. He stood up and smirked coyly. How long had he been psyching himself up for that?

Valerie smiled crookedly and began walking up the stairs backwards, waving good-bye. It seemed as though she would rather not leave. Finally, though, she went out of sight, closing the door, leaving Danny on the sidewalk.

After a moment, Danny smiled broadly and pumped his arm in success. Once he'd calmed down, he looked behind him and said, "How did you guys like the movie?"

Clangs and various other sounds of a trash can being kicked echoed from between the buildings behind him, shortly followed by a yelp of pain. Tucker's figure stumbled from the shadows, followed by a guilty smiling Sam. "You should've paid more attention to the movie," she said sheepishly. "You would've liked it."

"I'll rent it," he replied, the smile fading away. "So, now you're resorting to spying on me?"

"How were we supposed to know you two were in the same movie as us?" Tucker asked.

"You called me earlier and asked me!"

After a brief spat between them, Danny resolved to not bother them after they promised to never spy again. He believed Sam, and knew Tucker wouldn't do it without Sam with him, so he was safe. One thing was left to be discussed, however.

"She stille thinks you and I have dated," he added, feeling terribly clueless. "Why do you think she won't believe me?"

Sam broke into laughter at this, drawing the two's attention to the misplaced reaction. "You mean, you don't know?"

"No," he said flatly. "And you do?"

"Think, Danny," she said. "What has she seen us do that's usually something only couples do?"

Tucker snapped his fingers and laughed. "Fake out make out numero uno!" he cried.

Danny's eyes widened in realization and he hung his head. Valerie had seen Sam tackle Danny and kiss him... which he had tried with all his might to forget, by the way. "Crud. That's almost solid proof to her; no wonder she thinks I'm lying!" With the strike of an idea, he popped his head back up. "Sam, when's the next time Val's going to your house?"

"Monday. why?" Danny was giving her an intense, pleading look. "Oh, no – whatever it is, no!"

* * *

_As long as this is, and since I know no other chapter will be quite as long, an entire scene was basically deleted. Not a huge one, and you'll know what happened by the time WNE: Five (currently untitled) is finished. Next up is Never Good Enough: Analysis, and then a long period of one-shots for me, since I've got three either finished or nearly finished on paper._

_**See you in the afterlife,**_

_**Saramis Kismet**_


End file.
